Einstein's Fiddle
by KJay99
Summary: A mission that takes place after "Vendetta" and sometime before "Buried". Complete!
1. Thinking Spot

**I hope that this will be a fun, insightful story into what I think probably, could have, should have, happened in between episodes with HG.**

**Of course, I own nothing but a few artifacts. ;)**

**Major thanks to my beta-ers. Kendralynora for constantly poking and bothering me to keep creating, Marie-Rene for reminding me to add heart, and InuGhost for friendship and fun!**

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><p>"Oh NOW you want to know that I think!" Artie yelled.<p>

"I THINK that I'm going to regret not letting her freeze to death!" He paused to let the sting pass from his split lip.

"But by then it'll be too late, for all of us."

Artie stormed away from a stunned Myka, leaving her to throw a worried look at her partner.

Artie let his frustration out on the outer door to the warehouse. It flung open violently into the late afternoon air. He stomped outside and turned in a circle running his fingers through his salty curls and breathing heavy with emotion. He knew that the regents never changed their minds. Having Wells as an agent was out of his control, the decision was made above him. He growled in frustration. How was he supposed to keep his team together and safe while working with bronzed snakes? Why didn't they listen to him? What did Myka tell them! Artie caught himself and hitched up in annoyance. He stopped pacing and closed his eyes trying to focus and regain control of his racing heart beat. Then, quickly he opened his eyes and dug into his pocket for his car keys.

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><p>Artie's red jaguar stopped in a deserted area of the South Dakota badlands. Stone rose up from the ground almost in unnatural formations. Yellow-white sheets of rock stood on edge rising above his head in deep, delicate patterns that extended to Artie's left and right.<p>

Stepping out of his car, he marched towards the rocks, hardly noticing them in his distracted state. His dark blue shirt stood out against the lighter sand colored environment as he marched uphill to the first wall of rock and slipped behind it, disappearing into the maze of canyons.

After a few turns between towering rock walls, Artie pulled up short, finally letting the serenity of the place get to him. Sharp blades of stone towered over him, preventing any electrical signals from penetrating. He could almost feel the electronic ties being severed, at least temporarily. More than his perception of being freed from his nearly constant electrical bondage, the total silence of the place got to him. His ears buzzed in the absolute quite, still subconsciously on alert for a Farnsworth ring. The supervisor took a deep breath and took in the peace of the place. It was the perfect place to not be found.

As he walked, he pulled out a cigar from its metal travel holder and cut off the tip with his knife between his thumb and middle finger, pocketing the end. He flipped the cutter in his pocket and fished out a box of wooden matches. Artie paused and deftly struck a match, lighting his cigar with practiced skill. He diverted his eyes just enough from the flame to try to save his night vision as it lit up his face in the fading light. He rotated the cigar to get an even burn, then shook out the match, cooled it and stowed it in his pocket.

Artie paused and puffed on the cigar to get the burn established. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the taste of the smoke and feel of the skillfully wrapped cigar. It had been a while since he last felt the need to think so deeply that it warranted a cigar. Letting the relaxing benefits of the smoke and the place effect him, he rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck to try to let out some of the tension built up there. He pressed forward, taking up his hike again.

A few memorized turns later and the Warehouse supervisor came upon a look out over a ravine formed by the ragged crop of rock that he was climbing on and the next one. Just beyond that was a distance of craggy rocks that went out towards the horizon, each one slight smaller in size than the one before which gave Artie a spectacular view. He found that just staring at the different sized mountains seemed to give him perspective on things in his own life.

Artie settled into his familiar thinking area. He sat himself down on a slightly horizontal rock and took a long draw from his cigar, relishing the taste. He let himself enjoy the pleasure of slowly blowing out the smoke, and took a deep breath of the quickly cooling badlands air.

He shook his head. What was he going to do? How could he possibly manage the Warehouse when he was being disregarded by Myka going over his head to the regents. His authority was being undermined and everyone knew it. Regent Kassan sided with Myka instead of him. That fact burned more than the cigar between his fingers. He momentarily forgot about his cigar and looked out over the canyon. The sun was setting and turning the hills orange. Further out, the distant hills beckoned Artie to expand his thoughts to work through his issues.

The supervisor allowed the hills' calm silence to influence him. He took a deep breath and tried to lower his shoulders that had managed to creep up again with stress. He started playing "what if". What if he just didn't give any assignments to Wells? Perhaps he could limit the danger to Pete and Myka if he kept her under his eye at the Warehouse. But, if he did keep her there, that would give her access to at least most of the artifacts in the Warehouse. God knows what she could do with some of them. Not to mention the danger to Claudia and Leena. He couldn't watch her all of the time. Perhaps the best idea would be to get her out of the Warehouse after all.

What if he went to the regents? He could explain how dangerous Wells is. Artie shook his head. That would never work. Mrs. Fredric? Could she be of any help? No. The regents wouldn't be receptive to that kind of tactic and he had never heard of them changing their minds on a decision since… well ever. He ran through several other thoughts and ended up shaking his head at the end of each one. He was stuck with her, at least for now.

He took a draw from the cigar, mostly to keep it from going out.

But- didn't HG Wells show promise in Russia? Hadn't she tried to save his life? She was nearly frozen to death in the process, but didn't seem to mind too much in the end. She was able to track him down before Pete and Myka found him. Wasn't that type of talent worth developing? There was no doubt to Artie that she was intelligent. But, she was also 100 years removed from her time. That would be a big handicap in the field to her partners at the very least. But the effects of being bronzed! How can she not be half way to insanity after an experience like that? She was most of the way there before they put her in, that's why she was bronzed in the first place! Artie stuck the cigar in his mouth and angrily chewed the end.

The sun had slipped under the horizon without his notice, plunging the badlands into dusk. Artie stood and leaned against the side of a vertical rock to help burn off some emotion. He knew that he couldn't get the regents to reverse their decision. He also knew that the safest place for everyone would be for HG Wells to be out in the field and away from the Warehouse and the artifacts within, not to mention the Warehouse computers and data bases. Not that someone from the past could even use a computer, he thought, but Artie didn't put anything past someone like Wells. She was smart. Too smart. And it didn't help matters that she was also beautiful, in any age. He sighed. He would have to keep an eye on Pete; Myka too for that matter. She had put her neck out several times for that woman already.

Artie wondered why. What did Myka see that he didn't? Artie casually rolled the cigar between his fingers in between a few puffs. He mentally went over what he knew of Myka's contact with HG Wells. He would need to see her report that she gave to the regents on Wells to help figure that one out.

His eye was drawn to the smoke rising out of the cigar in the still air. He suppressed a shiver from the cool evening. He allowed himself to contemplate the loveliness of the smoke. It weaved upon itself in a long tendril upwards. He knew that there was inspiration in it. It reminded him how everything is connected. The wind blew up from the canyon and softly dissipated the smoke before it settled again rising up in its intricate pattern. Everything is connected. Everything touches everything. Artie searched the corners of his brain for something just out of sight. He was slightly light headed from the tobacco, and he used the lowering of his defenses to get to the parts of his brain usually kept in reserve. He knew that there was a solution somewhere; he just had to find it.

Something on the edge of his memory tickled his brain again. He looked over the darkening hills as they disappeared into darkness and the thought faded. Looking back at the smoke, the elusive thought was closer. It was the smoke. How it turned in on its self; the elegant curves, how it rose from the heat of the smoldering fire. It was all related, all influenced. Artie physically flinched. "Related, influenced…." He mumbled out loud. It was there, on the edge of his brain…. He had heard that somewhere recently. His eyes subconsciously narrowed. It was a newspaper article: "Everything is influenced by everything else. It is all inter-related." It was said by a scientist who just put forth a theory on the construction of the universe. "One must simply think things through thoroughly to be able to see the universe around them."

Artie's face went slack and his eyes went out of focus with shock as his thoughts formed. The scientist had revised Einstein's theory of space time. "Einstein." He muttered out loud. The quote echoed in his head. "think things through… to see the universe" His eye twitched.

"Einstein's fiddle…." He whispered, "He found Einstein's fiddle."


	2. HG Wells, Newbie Agent

**Sorry about the confusion.**

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><p>HG found herself taking in the many things that were so different from her time. Even after being unbronzed for a little bit now, she still found herself uncomfortable at the revealing and tightness of wearing pants in public; but- that seemed to be what women of this period were wearing, so she tried to fit in as best she could. Mac Pherson had gotten her some time appropriate clothes early on and she had worn pants suits ever since. She still couldn't help but check behind her whenever she sat down though: a remnant from checking to see if something would catch on her dress.<p>

She had to admit that sitting and talking to the new Warehouse agents was lovely. They were even joined by the young girl, Claudia. Pete and Myka seemed to regard the girl as one of their own, so HG followed suit and tried to disregard the vibrant color of her tightly fitted clothing and her multi colored hair, and addressed her as a contemporary adult in spite of her looks.

The way that Pete and Myka accepted and treated everyone like an equal was incredible. It was everything that Helena had hoped for. She was delighted to see a woman, Leena was her name, bring in evening tea to ward off the cool night air; but her heart leapt when Leena sat down next to Pete and joined in on the conversation. Her dark eyes misted over at the delight of being a part of a society that included everyone with such respect, devoid of the social hierarchy that shackled the society that she knew before.

Helena was a bit flushed at all of the attention, but she truly enjoyed the new warehouse agents, especially Myka. The Warehouse had always been ahead of its time, employing the best and brightest, be they women or men, but to see an agent like Myka… Helena held out hope that her highest wishes had come to fruition. HG quietly watched how her partner, Pete, a man, seemed to honestly respect Myka as a true equal. She was obviously a very capable agent, and she commanded respect. HG couldn't help but nearly smile every time she saw Myka. It was seeing Myka that told HG that she needed to be an agent again.

Well into the evening, the discussion turned to new inventions, many of which Helena had already seen, and a few she could not imagine. She was also surprised to find many things which she had thought would have come to pass had not, such as- well, time machines for one. Claudia and Pete were excitedly trying to describe the internet to Helena while Myka and Leena added input but mostly just smiled at the antics when Artie rushed through the front door.

Helena jumped as a natural reaction of not being at ease with her surroundings. Conversation stopped as everyone turned to look. HG tried to relax again, to hide her discomfort, but she found herself staring at Artie looking hard at her; he had noticed her unease. She forced a nervous smile at what she hoped was still her new supervisor.

Artie took in the homely scene with a quick glance, huffed and moved quickly into the kitchen. HG was lost so she looked to her new co-workers for guidance. Myka came to her rescue and motioned for HG to disregard the disruption. Leena made a dismissive motion in the air, but she looked to the kitchen when a shuffling and banging noise was heard.

"Excuse me." Leena put her tea cup on the table then nearly jogged out of the room to find out what Artie was beating up in the other room.

Helena looked remorseful. "I'm afraid that he doesn't like me." She did save his life in Russia; one would think that would count for _something_.

Pete had been looking like he had eaten something that disagreed with him all evening, especially when he looked in her direction, HG noticed. He said "Hey. He doesn't like anyone!" He forced on one of his boyish smiles with his comment. Claudia shrugged and smiled her assent. "At least not at first. You'll grow on him!" HG smiled her thanks for their encouragement.

Artie rushed out of the kitchen into the hallway clutching a newspaper. The frazzled man stopped long enough to glare at his agents in the other room. "Um…. Don't stay up too late." He looked around one more time, briefly locking eyes with Myka before he shifted his weight and made for the door, leaving the Bed and Breakfast.

Leena rejoined the group and shook her head gently at the questioning looks. "Well, I'm turning in soon. Helena, may I show you to your room?"

Helena stood and followed Leena upstairs to a bedroom complete with her own powder room and hot water. Her three small bags had been brought up and were waiting for her by the foot of her bed. HG beamed and honestly thanked Leena for everything.

That night Helena stretched out in satisfaction. She had made it. She was in the future and back to the Warehouse, of all places. Tomorrow held such great promise that she had trouble getting her eyes to close.


	3. The Morning After

**Thanks for everyone reading and following this story! Gives me encouragement that this journey might be worth taking!**

**I'm going to attempt to release chatpers every Sun and Wed, if possible, but no promises.**

**Thank you to all of the reviewers. I hope to live up to your kind words.**

**Ok- the next morning, as the title suggests! **

**Here we go!**

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><p>The bright morning sunlight hit Artie when he stepped out of the Warehouse the next morning. He flinched and shut his eyes, blindly fishing for his clip-on sun glasses. Once they were on, he took a step before he noticed the black Lincoln parked by his Jaguar. He stopped dead and looked over his shoulder to find Mrs. Fredric standing right behind him.<p>

Artie jumped and let out a tiny sigh. He kept thinking that he would get used to her sudden appearances, but he never did. It spooked him every time. "Mrs. Frederic." He said flatly with annoyance at himself still obvious.

"You are sending Agents Lattimer and Bering after Einstein's Fiddle." She said as a statement, but Artie knew that she was also questioning him.

"Yes. This morning." He eyed her neat tweed jacket and flicked a glance behind her thick 50's style glasses. He felt the need to add something more. "They'll be on location by this afternoon." He adjusted the messenger bag strap on his shoulder.

The dark lady cast a level gaze at him. She tilted her head slightly in her effort to be gentle; as gentle as the hardened caretaker was able to be. "I understand that the computer system did not detect the artifact."

The supervisor stopped and squared his shoulders to her confidently. "I _know_ it's there." He opened his mouth to justify his case further but she cut him off.

"Arthur, I have no doubt about your conclusions."

"Oh!" Artie dropped his shoulders in relief.

"I simply wish to remind you about the value of your resources."

Artie glared at his boss and rapidly said, "I'm perfectly aware of the 'val-'" He stopped and forced himself to calm down. Mrs. Frederic was creepy, but she was always on his side. He took a not very calming breath and said "I take **great** care with Pete and Myka's lives. At **_all_** times!"

The black woman sighed, nearly making Artie flinch. The last time the Warehouse Caretaker sighed she questioned Artie's motivations when his former partner, MacPherson, returned. "And what of Agent Wells?" She leveled a steely gaze at him.

Artie froze. So that's what her visit was about. He blinked in thought. He still hadn't decided what the safest course of action would be regarding that woman.

"She **is** one of your agents, may I remind you." Artie returned her penetrating gaze with one of his own, telegraphing his displeasure at that fact. Mrs. Frederic continued unphased. "I _suggest_ that you treat her as such."

Artie lowered his eyes, considering her orders. He looked at the files in his hands and realized that he had made only two of them, not considering making one more for HG. Thinking again of the security of the thousands of artifacts in the Warehouse, the risk of allowing a formerly bronzed person access to them was too great, even if she was an agent before and now again. Artie made up his mind. She needed to be as far away from the Warehouse as possible.

"Wells is…" he looked up but his supervisor was gone. He quickly turned around, but even her car was nowhere to be seen, making Artie gulp hard and his heartbeat race. If the coffee didn't wake him up, a visit from the mysterious Mrs. Frederic always did the trick.

The Warehouse door opened making Artie spin on the spot. Claudia came out from behind the door but she stopped and wrinkled her forehead in concern when she saw Artie's spooked state. "Everything ok?"

Artie took a tight breath and looked again where Mrs. Frederic's car was moments before. Not even tire tracks remained. He shook off the creepy feeling that her unexplained appearances always gave him. "Yeah. Just… just…" he changed his mind mid sentence. No need to explain the sudden visit to Claudia. He shook his head to himself and started towards the car. Noticing that Claudia was still by the Warehouse door, he added, "You coming?"

Claudia eyed him with a bit of worry, as she opened the door to his red Jaguar for the ride to the B & B.


	4. Briefing

**Looks like I wont' be able to hold to a schedule on this one. I shall try my best though.**

**Here's to all the lurkers out there! ;)**

**Oh! Thanks to er- Pete and Claudia for their review! Nice to hear from you guys! Thanks for joining us! Uh- Pete, I think you're being called in for a briefing.**

**Claudia- inconceiveable! heh...**

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><p>Leena handed HG Wells a cup of coffee. Wells would have had a nice strong tea back in her day, but after over 100 years of preparing herself to emerge from her bronze cocoon into this future; she was going to embrace it.<p>

HG smiled at Leena and thanked her as she took the mug. She tentatively sipped the hot liquid but couldn't quite suppress a grimace at its bitterness. Leena smiled and spoke as she moved. "Breakfast will be ready from 6:30 to 7:30. Leftovers are on the second shelf." Leena opened the refrigerator door and showed the shelves to HG to make sure that the new agent could at least feed herself. HG watched Leena pull out the half and half. The caretaker guessed that the thin time traveler might not like sweetener in her morning brew. Leena offered the cream to the agent who welcomed it with a smile of relief.

"Oh yes, please." Wells held out her mug and watched Leena drop a small splash in her cup of black coffee. She sipped the brew and closed her eyes in delight when the hot concoction rolled down her throat. Perhaps there was something to having morning coffee after all. She refocused to see Leena gazing at her with her sweet, calming smile. "Much better, thank you."

"Coffee is in this pantry, along with tea." Leena evaluated her two tins of tea. "I can get some more tea for you if you like. Anything that you'd like me to get, just write it down." Leena gestured to a pen and note pad hanging on the side of the fridge. Suddenly the clairvoyant stopped and looked up. She gave a perplexed look to the new agent.

Wells stopped with her coffee cup an inch from her mouth. "Leena?"

"Did you …? I…" HG saw that Leena was unable to articulate whatever sensation she was experiencing. The clairvoyant slipped past Wells, who followed her out of the pantry.

Leena poked her head around the doorway into the common area followed by a curious Wells. The pair heard voices and rounded a corner to find Artie's back at a table with Pete and Myka, obviously at a briefing. Leena sighed at the solution to the mystery then glanced towards the woman behind her. She cleared her throat noisily, predictably making Artie flinch and spin around quickly.

"Would anyone like coffee?" Leena ignored the coffee cups already in front of Pete and Myka. "Artie?"

The supervisor's quick eyes flicked up to her at his name. He grumbled a negative quickly adding a small "thank you," under his breath, almost as an afterthought. Leena smoothly stepped aside and removed herself from the room, giving Wells an encouraging look as she went.

"Right…" Wells whispered to herself. She herself drew up, gathering her courage before accepting a chair that Myka subtly offered to her. HG saw Artie's eye twitch and even Pete looked like he ate something that disagreed with him when she joined the group.

Artie cleared his throat. "Uh… ok. Yeah. So!" HG glanced at Myka and tried not to notice the annoyed expression that the jumpy supervisor barely suppressed. "Ah. What you'll be looking for will be a violin. Or... or a fiddle. It once belonged to Albert Einstein and…" Artie stopped at a tiny exclamation escaped from Wells. She felt his hard eyes fall on her.

"I'm sorry, perhaps I missed it, but is this a newly discovered artifact?"

"No…." Annoyance dripped off of his word. "It was believed to have been in Einstein's possession at the very least, for his miracle year of 1905. Before that, it was floating around Europe for at least fifty years prior." Artie flipped through some of his notes.

"It's just that there was a legend of a violin." HG hesitated when all eyes at the table turned to her. The raven haired lady swallowed a bit uncomfortably at the attention that she foolishly brought upon herself. _Well_, she thought, _I had better finish_. "I have… _had_ a friend; you may have heard of her. She was in Canada, Kathleen Parlow? She was rather famous, uhm, at the time." HG paused, to take in the blank looks around the table. She thought that she caught a glimmer of recognition in Artie's eyes, but it was well hidden behind his disdain of her.

"Well, Kathleen learned on this wonderful violin. She swore to me that it 'showed' her the music. By the time we found out that it was an artifact, it had gone missing. It was written into stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle."

At that name Myka piped up. "Sherlock Holmes?"

"Yes, the same!" HG flashed a brilliant smile at Myka as the clues starting coming together. "That is why Holmes played the fiddle. Doyle was writing about the same artifact fiddle. It is supposed to show the player whatever they want to see, hence helping Holmes solve his case!"

She paused in her excitement and sighed out, "I'm quite suprised that such a powerful artifact is still out there." She smiled at the thrill of the idea of hunting the fiddle but quickly stashed her grin when she saw Artie huffing in an effort to control his anger at her slight insult.

"New Jersey!" Artie barked.

"Wha? Why 'Jersey' Artie?" Pete asked in near disbelief at being sent to the home of the "Jersey Shore".

"Princeton." He responded as if he could give them all the information that they needed in single word answers. He stuffed his materials into his bag. "Dr. Meisser is there. He has the fiddle, or at least used it. Go! Snag, bag." He swiftly left the room.

HG lowered her eyes in disappointment as Myka and Pete got up from the table. She certainly didn't endear herself by going on about the violin.

"The three of you!"

HG snapped her head up to see Artie leaning through the doorway and glaring at her. She jumped up in excitement.

Artie clapped his hands for emphasis. "Plane leaves in four hours! Pack! Go!"

"Yes sir!" The raven haired agent jogged past him and up the stairs.


	5. Cafe con Artifact

**Thanks to the reviews, as always!**

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><p>Artie opened the door to his office and brushed into the room as he always did. There were things that he wanted to get done now that his team was in the field and out of the office where he had to keep a watch on HG. He did a double take when a sudden motion from Claudia caught his eye. He saw her straighten up suddenly and gulp. His shoulders dropped with dread. He knew that look from her. The girl was up to something.<p>

"What?" he barked out sharper than he intended. "What did you do?" he asked a little more gently.

Claudia stood straight up and very still. "Nothing!" flew automatically even though she knew she wasn't fooling him. A low hiss came from a brass contraption that she stood in front of. Her eyebrows shot up. "I… was just… Um… cappuccino?"

"What? Cap…? What is that?" Artie moved her aside and gaped at what he gathered used to be an artifact from sometime around the 1400's. It looked like some sort of early attempt at using steam.

"Ah. Well-" Claudia's voice spiked with nerves before she took a deep breath. "Ok, look. It's a steamer! See?" She rushed to show Artie her 'improvements'. "I just tapped it off with a little valve. And… presto! Steamed cappuccino!" She shrugged at the simplicity of the concept and grabbed her cup of cold milk for demonstration.

"Steam?" His eyes flicked from behind his round glasses, estimating the amount of water the device was capable of holding. He instantly didn't like large tank compared to the tiny outlet and smaller tap that Claudia installed.

"Where's the pressure relief?" Artie asked, as he tried to look at the back of the simplistic contraption. He burnt his hand on the metal and pulled it back in surprise. The device was hot, very hot. Any water inside would be evaporated for sure. He interrupted his reflex to gape at the antique contraption with the new information. He took a cautious step back from the device as if it might bite him.

"The what?" Claudia said flatly. The girl looked at the obviously too-small valve when the device popped a fastener which flew centimeters from Claudia's ear, ricocheting off the wall. Steam shot out of the tiny hole where the fastener was, producing a high pitched whistling. Her eyes widened, realizing what it all meant when she was grabbed by Artie.

"Come on. C'mon, c'mon. _Move!_" Artie forcefully led her by the arm, spilling her milk.

"Ow! Hey! Oh, ok ok!" Claudia jogged after her arm that her boss was dragging across the office.

With his free hand, Artie grabbed the edge of the work table and flipped it over. Papers went flying and the table came down hard on its side with a crash that made Claudia jump. He quickly shoved the girl in front of him then dived behind the table, pulling her down as the steamer's whistle rose to a new, desperate pitch.

Seconds passed with the piercing whistle filling the office. Artie looked up, contemplating if the extra hole might just be enough to prevent a structural failure of the device, or not. Claudia caught his eye. He could tell that she was wondering the same thing.

The girl lifted her eyebrows and nodded to the top of the table. She had to raise her voice above the noise. "You uh…. Should check it out."

Leaning his back on the underside of the overturned table, Artie glanced up to the top edge briefly before he registered what she said. The whistling continued, making him again consider the possibility that the tiny hole might be just enough to mitigate the explosive pressure. Supervisor and techie exchanged a questioning look.

In unison, two sets of wide eyes slowly peered over the edge of the table. The artifact's whistle rose frantically yet again. Artie put his hand out and shoved Claudia's head back down then ducked himself. A second later the steam engine exploded with a _**Pow!**_

After the dust settled and papers fluttered down in the office, the pair emerged from their makeshift shield. Artie grimaced at the destroyed engine still spewing steam through a fist sized hole.

"Whoa." Claudia let out.

"Yeah 'whoa'." Artie sighed. "Pressure vessels _always_ need a pressure relief valve." He glared at the girl.

"Well! Shouldn't it have had one? It _is_ a steam engine! Or it was…" she grimaced at the remains.

"Yes- well, that's **why** they exploded!" he motioned with his hands to the entire office. "Steam engines weren't in common use until the late 1600's! Even then they were known to kill- _Kill_ people!" he hollered. "This is… what is this? Ottoman?" he looked at the side of the still hot container now that it was harmless. It looked… he wasn't certain but it definitely predated steam's heyday by a few hundred years. "Claudia, is this from the Ottoman Empire section?"

Claudia had made her way over to the suit of armor by the office door. She wrestled out the valve from the knight's helmet where it lodged. The redhead crunched her nose at the bent spigot. Now she would have to get Leena a new water spigot too. "Uhh."

"Well YOU are telling Mrs. Frederic!" Artie stormed out into the Warehouse, ignoring Claudia's pleas for leniency. "And clean up that mess!"


	6. Straight?

**Thank you so much for the reviews and all of the many hits this past Wednesday. We haven't broken 100, but I'm flattered at the numbers. I'm sure it has to do with the season 3 ramping up. **

**Myriadrun, they are always fun aren't they? ;) Kendra cameo! (Has a ring to it!)**

**Well, lets get back to it!**

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><p>Pete and Myka marched up to the Department of Astrophysical Sciences with HG in trail. The Princeton campus was lush with green trees and black squirrels jumping in the open spaces. The department building was strikingly wrapped with slim vertical windows around the entire first floor, and two giant telescopes emerged out of the stone lined, second story. The trio approached the arched doorway that impressively framed the entrance behind a raised landing and two fir trees.<p>

Pete grabbed Myka by the arm, getting her attention before they entered the building. "Hey Myka, how we going to play this one?"

Myka's eyebrows went up. "You want to put up a front? That really didn't work out so well last time."

Pete sucked his stomach in and squinted at the memory. "Oh yeah. That cop, Max right?"

Max was the local sheriff that had been under the influence of a chair artifact once belonging to Dr. Baird, the father of hypnotherapy. A bad first impression had been made when he found out that Pete's idea of being 'undercover' meant lying lied to him about who he was.

"Yeah." Myka grimaced. "He didn't like you too much. I mean, after you lied to him."

"He did try to shoot me." Pete caught HG glance at him in concern.

"Yeah." Myka agreed.

"And blow me up." Pete paused dramatically then added, "Oh and that time that the guy came at you with the… the ax!"

Myka tilted her head and narrowed her eyes for a moment before picking up on his subtle egging. She opened her eyes wide and said, "Oh yeeeah. That guy was… Wow! And—wasn't that lady in Cleveland… what was it she had?"

"Oh! Cleveland!" He rolled his eyes. "A chainsaw!"

"Yeah! A chainsaw!" Myka said nearly at the same time.

Pete and Myka paused then both coolly turned their heads to look at their new British partner. HG was frowning at the recounts of violent attacks and shooting both of them a very worried look.

She defensively put up both hands. "Don't look at me! I've been bronzed for the past century. But… chainsaws?" HG was planning to evaluate the aggressive nature of her new partners' investigation techniques when she caught a hint of a smile on Myka.

"Oh!" HG let out. Myka's smile was caught by Pete who cracked into a grin.

The partners broke out in laughter at HG who huffed but smiled. She let out a sigh of relief at the "rookie" tease.

"So, the 'shooting' and the 'blowing up?' Ha. Very funny." She said.

"No, that actually happened." Pete leveled his eyes at HG to say "no really" leaving HG to drop into a worried look again.

Myka said, "So! Straight?"

Pete said. "Ya, I'm thinking straight."

"Right. Ok." Myka smirked at HG.

They made their way to the door, letting a fraternity student go first. The young man took in the two attractive ladies and raised an eyebrow at Pete.

Pete suppressed a smile and held the door open for Myka and HG to enter, puffing his chest out just a little. "Ok, a few perks to this case." He said to himself before he realized that another student was close behind him. He backed up and held the door for the dark haired female student who apparently witnessed the whole thing because she rolled her eyes at him, as she entered the building.

Pete held out a hand, palm up. "_What?_"


	7. Princeton

**Sorry for the late release.**

**Jimmy, I thought of that, but decided to let it go. Thanks! ;)**

**Ok folks, still with the scooby gang out in the field.**

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><p>The trio tracked down Dr. Meissner to the auditorium, just finishing a lecture to a large group of students. They waited patiently until most of the class cleared out and the professor started to gather his things before approaching him.<p>

Pete stepped forward as the professor started to leave. "Dr. Meissner?"

"Yes?" The surprisingly youthful man eyed the visitors suspiciously. His brown hair was so well trimmed in a Ken doll hair cut that HG wondered if he wasn't dating a hairdresser.

Myka stepped up next to her partner and held out her badge. "Sir, we're with the secret service. We'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Secret service?" The man scratched his barely graying beard and adjusted his glasses before he looked at the three outstretched badges. "Questions about what?"

Myka continued, "We'd like to ask you about something that may have come into your possession recently."

"That's pretty broad. 'Something' like what?" He continued packing and grabbed some folders to tuck under his arm.

Pete jumped in, "Anything new in the area." He put on a disarming smile. "We're just looking for information right now."

Myka said, "This might be more comfortable in a more private setting, such as you office perhaps?"

"Oh. Of course! But, I have a question session right now. Can I meet you directly after in say… 20 minutes? I just have a few students to attend to." He motioned to about half a dozen youngsters starting to filing through the door.

"Certainly." Myka responded courteously.

Pete and Myka fell back with HG to the side of the auditorium as students filed out of the room to be replaced by a new set of students.

They took seats to the side of the room with HG behind them. Pete leaned over to Myka. "You think that he knows that he has an artifact?"

Myka thought for a moment as a student squeezed past them. "I think he knows."

HG leaned forward, inserting her head in between them. "Indeed he does. And he may be heading to it as we speak." She pointed to the podium at the front of the auditorium where a woman professor was preparing her notes to teach the new class, instead of Prof. Meissner.

Pete and Myka jumped to their feet. Myka said, "That little-" as she slid sideways out of the row of seats after Pete and HG. They all filed out of the auditorium quickly and headed back to the Department of Astrophysical Sciences at a jog.

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><p>Myka, Pete and HG rushed up to the Astrophysical Sciences building. Myka pulled up before they opened the door. "Pete, circle round in case there's a back way out and meet us at the Professor's office?"<p>

"Yeah!" Pete descended the steps and jogged to the side of the building.

"Let go." Myka and HG entered the building.

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><p>HG and Myka rushed into the Professor's front office. HG took the hard line stance that she was sure Myka and Pete were planning on. "Professor Meissner. Is he here?"<p>

Taken aback at the women rushing in to her office, the front secretary stuttered out a reply. The women didn't break stride as they brushed by the front desk and stormed into the hallway looking for the professor's office. Myka came upon the teacher just coming out a doorway, closing the door behind him.

"Professor Meissner!" Myka said forcefully.

"Ah- hello again ladies."

"We need to talk to you. Avoiding us won't make us go away." Myka let her irritation be known.

"Indeed, I'll be happy to talk to you. Anything for the government." He smiled with a overly sweet smile that HG knew was forced. He locked the door behind him. Now HG really wanted to get inside his office.

"Can we talk in your office?" Myka motioned to the closed door.

"I'm afraid not. Perhaps the lobby?"

Myka glanced at HG beside her. HG knew that Myka wanted in there as bad as she did.

"Professor Meissner," HG started, "we're investigating something that may be a danger to you or even to the entire campus!"

"And I'm happy to help, but my office is… private." He looked pointedly at HG. Just then Pete joined them in the hallway.

With two agents at her back, Myka leaned forward. "I'm going to have to insist. Open the door." She ordered.

"I'm afraid not." The well trimmed man help his ground against the three agents. "Ah Dr. Monroe!" Meissner directed his attention at a small brunette woman in the hall way.

"I'm glad you got my message. Meet the Secret Service!" He gestured to the three ticked-off agents in the hallway. "Agents, meet Dr. Monroe, legal professor." Meissner paused to let his words settle in on the agents. The lady was efficiently dressed.

The cool Professor continued. "Dr. Monroe, I was just telling the agents how I'm more than happy to talk to them in any public area and they were going to tell me how they would never ask to search any area without permission… or-a - warrant." He over stressed the last three words. The two professors stood against the three agents in the hallway.

_Well this is going well_. HG thought to herself sarcastically. She looked at Myka and Pete to back up whatever action they decided on. Turned out that Pete took charge.

"Sure, yeah. Well, Meissner, we'd be happy to talk to you wherever you like." His sentence broke a bit of the tension.

Professor Meissner smiled a tight smile. "The lobby. Please."


	8. Inventory

**Thanks to all of the reviewers! **

**Especially those special guest reviewers! Very entertaining! :)**

**Keep reading guys, this chapter is one fo my favorites!**

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><p>Claudia had been put to work on the seriously behind inventory. Leena came to help out and even Artie pitched in to make up for trying to keep Wells away from direct contact with artifacts and therefore, not allowing anyone to do inventory at all.<p>

Artie and Claudia were wrestling with a massive painting. They each had an end, trying to maneuver it back into place between some boxes and the warehouse shelves. The old supervisor had his arms spread across the large painting and bore the brunt of its weight across his chest while Claudia took the lower end and helped to guide it in between obstacles.

The painting bumped against a crate, making Artie grunt with the weight shift. Then the frame crashed against the steel warehouse shelves, crushing his fingers. He let out a howl. Claudia cursed and set down the painting then tilted it up, off of her boss who had doubled up, shaking out his left hand.

"Shoot. Sorry Artie!"

He made a fist and pressed the bottom of his shirt onto his fingers to try to stop the bleeding where the skin peeled back. It stung like hell. "Claudia…." She reached out to his hand, but he snatched it back, out of her reach. "Don't! Just…" He held her off with a scowl. "…just don't."

"I'm _sorry_ Artie! This thing is so big; I can't see where I'm going!" She gestured to the massive six foot painting. "Isn't there a huge, giant, mean-guy-on-a-horse-painting section?"

"NO!" he barked, but seeing at how pathetic she looked, he sighed, swallowed, and tried to soften up a bit. "Just… look. Look at the area." He motioned to the crowded spot of boxes and shelves and a sign post. "Got it?"

"Well, yeah, but.."

"No. Look. Look, now…" He walked closer to her and put his hand over her eyes. "Visualize." The teen slumped a shoulder at his obvious lesson. "Got it?"

"Yeah, fine. Got it." She gave him a look that made him doubt if she got his point, but the painting had to get back and this was by far the easiest way to do it; so Artie flexed his hand once more and moved back to the painting.

"Ok, we going to try this again?" He looked at the far side of the painting and got a grip on it. "This time with _out_ the hand bashing? Hu?"

"Yeah yeah…"

"You know, I _would_ like to use it again." He almost smirked at her exasperated sigh. Almost.

"Not like I meant to hit the shelf." She grunted as they lifted the paining together.

Artie was happy that the second attempt went much smoother. He wasn't sure if it was his suggestion of visualizing the area that helped or Claudia's unwillingness to sacrifice his hand again, but they got the massive painting properly slid between boxes and shelves just as the Farnsworth started buzzing.

Artie opened up the old device and jabbed a finger at the button. "Yeah!" He shook out his squashed hand.

A small, rounded, black and white image of Pete and Myka with HG in the background lit up the circular screen. "Artie, hey. Listen, we need you to get a warrant for the Professor's office." Pete said.

"What? Why? What's up?" His agents usually could get most people to work with them by using the words "Secret Service."

"Ah, Artie… the guy gave us the slip. Then when we caught up with him he stone walled us." Pete replied. His boyish face wrinkled, displaying his frustration.

"Gave you 'the slip'?" Artie restated, honestly surprised. "He's not cooperating then?"

Myka leaned in to the Farnsworth that Pete held. "Artie, he had a lawyer!"

"A lawyer! How…?" The supervisor's eyes narrowed. It didn't make sense. How could he have time to get a lawyer there?

Myka answered his question for him. "It's Princeton! They have a school of law! He just made a phone call and one walked over!" Her voice was raised in agitation and even from the Warehouse; Artie could see her neck straining.

"Yeah," he said defeatedly. "Yeah, I get it." He rubbed his forehead. The case wasn't going well if they already hit resistance. "Ok. I'll get on it." It was a routine matter after all; he could get one relatively easily once he was back at his office. Artie took a rare second to evaluate the faces of his agents.

"Anything else?" he snipped out.

Pete said, "Just that we confirmed that it is a fiddle. We asked around and the Professor plays a few instruments, one of which, is a violin." He exchanged a look with his partner and HG and shrugged. "So there's that."

Their boss was not impressed. He told them that the instrument was there before they left. "Yeah, ok. Keep an eye on your guy. Talk to you later bye." He finished quickly and snapped the device closed before they could return his goodbye.

Artie stood still for a moment, considering his agent's request. He decided that there weren't any over-looked loose ends, at least not yet. He shook himself out of his thoughts to focus on the inventory at hand but did a double take when he noticed a strange expression on Claudia's face.

"Leena…?" Claudia's tone alarmed him. He saw the girl staring through the shelves to the next aisle over where the B&B proprietor was working. He lowered his head to see under the shelf and saw Leena lying prone the next row over.

Artie dodged some boxes and dashed around the corner. He heard Claudia's steps scampering behind him as he hit his knees next to Leena. Nothing was immediately obvious as to why she was unconscious. He quickly scanned the shelves as if he expected an artifact to pounce on him.

"Stop! Stay… stay back!" He held a hand out and Claudia skidded to a stop, breathless with worry. "Just.. stay back, until… until we know what this is."

He leaned in and gently rolled Leena over. The anxious supervisor nervously put a hand on her neck and got a rush of relief when her pulse throbbed under his finger. With his other hand, Artie brushed back Leena's hair to get a look at her face. There wasn't anything out of place that he could see on the shelves. She was breathing normally… was there a chance that she simply passed out?

He felt her brow which was a normal temperature and cupped her face in his hands and took in her complexion. He thought that she looked normal, except for the point of her sleeping on the floor. Artie leaned in close to get a look at her eyes when the lights went out. He collapsed next to Leena with Claudia's scream in his ears.


	9. Leena

**Egads! (oh yeah, I said that!)**

**Thanks Geekgirl and Kritchkow and kendralynora and Jimmy! Those comments made my day!**

**Ok- let see what happens. **

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><p>Artie jerked awake. He sat up quickly as if nothing happened. Leena still slept peacefully beside him. He jumped to his knees and looked around quickly. Nothing looked out of place. He looked up the shelves and down the never ending aisle but still saw nothing to alarm him more than he already was.<p>

He shifted his attention back to Leena. He quickly leaned over her calling her name, looking intently for changes. A nagging feeling that something was missing was answered when Claudia ran up the aisle holding a neutralizer nozzle and shouldering extra hose. Artie saw her slow to a fast walk when she saw him sitting up.

"Put that away." He ordered.

"You sure?" Claudia gripped the nozzle and looked at him then at Leena and back suspiciously.

He scowled. Last thing he wanted was a huge mess of neutralizer to have to clean up. "Yes!" He racked his brain over this new problem.

Claudia put down the hose carefully. Artie thought that she looked ready to pounce on it and spray down the whole aisle if necessary.

"Claudia, go to the computer station. Access the Warehouse computers."

"Okaay…" she backed up much more slowly than he would have liked. "What am I looking for?"

"Try searching for artifacts with effects of forced sleeping, or.." he considered Leena. Why had he woken up while she still slept? What was different between him and her? "Try possession."

The techie started typing rapidly on the computer terminal at the end of the aisle. "Right! Possession or sleeping."

"See if there's anything in this section at all." He started reaching up at artifacts and moving them around to see the ones behind them.

"Yeah! There's… wow, ok, like fifty artifacts." She huffed.

Artie, reaching to shift an artifact, suddenly noticed his left hand. He held it up in amazement. The fingers were completely healed from being crushed earlier. He opened and closed his hand as he thought. "Try healing!" he called out.

"What? Healing? Ok. Sleeping…" she spoke out loud as she typed. "and healing." She smacked the "enter" key.

Artie looked at Leena again. There wasn't a mark on her. Not the he noticed any small nicks or some such before, but now he was frustrated at his lack of attention. He glanced to the side forcing his brain to locate the responsible artifact. His mouth automatically said the words as they came to him. "Tot c…" His eyes closed and his head tilted with his struggle to pull up something from the Warehouse's past. Suddenly they flew open. "Tot Carceres!"

"What?" Claudia's red head poked to the side to look up the aisle.

"Tot Carceres!" He repeated louder in her direction.

"Aaaahhh….. Artie? Are you speaking in tongues? Because you're scaring the tech help…" her voice rose nervously.

Artie pressed his lips and rolled his eyes in annoyance at her antics. "It's the name of the artifact!" he called. "T- O- T- C- A- R- E-"

"Ok ok ok!" Claudia looked at the computer screen just as it binged with the search results. She pulled up in surprise. "It just came up!" She grabbed a pen and wrote the artifact's location number on her hand. She ran up the aisle towards the pair but stopped ten feet short waiting for Artie's orders.

"Is it here?" Artie looked up, unwilling to leave Leena's side.

"Yeah!" Claudia referenced her hand. "827-104." She looked at the shelves. "Its….. above you a few shelves."

Artie let out a sigh of relief. He was fairly certain that he knew what was going on. He glanced at Leena again, but noticing no cuts or abrasions he eliminated direct contact as the method of contamination. Remembering how he blacked out when he leaned in close to Leena, he realized that the parasites once contained in the artifact, had gone airborne. If he wasn't effected anymore by them, they must have withdrawn into Leena and be content to stay there for the time being.

"Ok, come here."

Claudia cocked her head sideways. "You sure? I mean, I can …" she pointed to the neutralizer hose.

"No, no, no, no. C'mon, c'mon." He motioned with his hand for her to come closer. "It's fine. Where's the artifact?"

Claudia tentatively stepped closer. "Uh…" she forced herself to look at her hand then reference the shelves. "Up there, 104… ok I see it! Two rows up."

Artie nodded. "Ok, get up there. Tell me if the container is damaged."

Claudia quickly moved a crate to the shelves and climbed on top of it.

Artie cranked his neck to look up at her. "Anything?"

"Well… no." She reached up and rotated the ancient looking vase revealing a thin crack up the side. "Ooooh! Oh yeah…damage." She said flatly.

Artie sighed again. "Ok. Bring it down. _Carefully!_" He started gathering Leena up while she climbed down with the vase. "Go get the car."

"Artie? A- are you sure?"

"Ya! Go! I'm fine!" Claudia scampered off to where the Edison car was parked two rows over. Truth be told Artie felt better than fine. He felt great. Not only was his hand healed, but he suspected that the temporary infestation of whatever was in that container healed whatever else was ailing him as well. He felt like he got five years knocked off his age. Leena wasn't exactly a tiny person, but he was able to lift her fairly easily, still running on a sort of high that seemed to be a lingering after effect.

Claudia pulled up the car and stopped short in her rush, making the old tires squeak to a stop. Artie carefully lifted the sleeping Leena onto the seat. "Ok, come down here." Claudia hopped down to the front seat letting Artie climb up and drive the car. "You have the container?"

"Yup!" Claudia held up the old vase.

"Ok. Take care of it. We're going to need it." Artie stepped on the gas and steered the car to the fastest route back to the office.


	10. Vessel

**Thanks for the reviews guys!**

**Welcome Lynnutte! Thanks for all of the editing that you do!**

**Jimmy- close. Was told by a professor in Latin that means "many cells".**

**(Giggle Geekgrl113)**

**I can't leave our favorite characters hanging there for too long, so here we go.**

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><p>Leena slept on the couch in Artie's office. While she looked calm when awake she looked positively angelic while sleeping. Claudia reread the Warehouse entry for the "Tot Carceres" for the fifth time while Artie peered at the split pottery container over his glasses.<p>

He hoped that perhaps a simple repair to the vase would be enough to tempt whatever used to be in it back into it and out of Leena. Although the… the _creatures_ healed him; he had no idea what the continued exposure was doing to Leena. The supervisor looked at the clairvoyant but noticed no change. His eyes carried all of his worry. He forced his attention back to the container. It was his best bet to snapping Leena out of her Sleeping Beauty state.

His worrying was interrupted by Claudia. "There's nothing useful in here. Only that the container was found in a region of Tibet and was being kept in a village before it was bagged."

Artie grunted his acknowledgement. "I think… maybe… if we can just… patch this up somehow…"

"Artie?" Claudia's tone again put him on high alert. Artie jumped to his feet and bolted from his table to the couch where she was staring.

Leena's eyes were open. She was still relaxed, and her eyes were out of focus, but they were open. Artie breathed out, "Leena?" He put out a tentative hand to grip hers but something foreign in her made him hesitate.

Leena blinked slowly. She spoke slowly. "You." He leaned forward. Did she recognize him? "We… Vessel."

Artie was taken aback. Leena was clearly not in control yet. "Who….? What do you want?" Artie sounded a little angrier than he intended, but he was having to keep a tight grip on his emotions watching Leena in the grips of an artifact.

Leena stared straight ahead. "Vessel."

"'Vessel?'" Artie repeated. "Wha…? Vessel!" He grabbed the old vase. "This? Is this what you want?" He felt ridiculous talking to… to something, but he didn't have any better ideas.

"No." Artie waited but she didn't say anything else.

"Then what?" Leena still didn't respond. He sighed sharply and rubbed his eyes. He felt like he was playing a game where he was not asking the right questions. Artie stepped back and rubbed his goatee in thought. He pulled his hand away and looked at his healed fingers. He took a guess at the next question to ask. "Why are you in Leena?"

"Shelter."

He held up the vase again, showing the crack to Leena. "From this? Because of this?"

"Yes."

"Why did you attack me?"

"No." Leena hesitated as if she was searching for words. "Not 'attack'. Shelter. Dying, panic. Abandoned… quickly."

Artie hitched up. So that was what happened. From what he deduced from the artifact description, something was contained in that old vase. Some… many things, according to the artifact's name. Perhaps those things were living creatures? If so, he looked at Leena again, could it be possible that they were capable of communal thought? He absently scratched the stubble at his neck and paced in thought. Was that the explanation for what he was seeing? If that was the case, perhaps the vase was not just a cage, as the translation suggests, but what if it was protection for them? Was the very atmosphere damaging to this… this _life form_ that Leena's special talents allowed him to communicate with? That would make sense with what he was just told. If the atmosphere was killing them, then they jumped to him as a drowning man would grab on to anything that floats in his panic. They abandoned him in favor of Leena after a few minutes which is why he regained conciseness and she did not.

He turned back to the couch. "What do you need? If we repair this, will you leave Leena?"

She blinked. "Yes."

Artie spun to face Claudia. The girl grimaced. "I don't know Artie, it's really old. The pottery is breaking down, its…. Its turning to dust."

The supervisor cringed. He knew she was right. "Ok… " he took a few steps randomly and stared off into space. The conversation seemed indicate that he was right about some sort of parasite that was contained in the vase. But that artifact had been in the Warehouse for… easily over three hundred years. Why were they released now? Did the vase simply get too old and start to disintegrate on its own? Or did something else happen to cause the crack?

"Artie? What are we going to do?" Claudia asked. He ignored her to let his brain work. He examined the vase and Claudia was right- it was crumbling. That certainly pointed to the idea that the vase simply broke down naturally. He could probably safely discount the thought that the creatures forced the crack open.

Claudia piped up. "Is there another container?" He managed a shake of his head. If that was true, if they could just _find_ another container, perhaps that would suffice for the next three hundred years.

"What's wrong with Leena?"

"Just… let me _think_!" he barked. Claudia stopped herself from asking another question and huffed. She sat back on her desk and crossed her arms giving her boss some space.

Artie shot her a glare to hold her in place. He looked around the office. If he could get a suitable replacement vase, he would have to seal it somehow. Pottery is porous; maybe the creatures needed exposure to some atmosphere, just not all of it. He could seal the replacement pottery with wax of some sort. That would last quite a few years. He spun around his office. "Wax…. Wax." He dashed to a storage area at the back of the office. Claudia eye's followed her insane boss with idle curiosity. He dove into a drawer quickly coming up with a candle of hard sealing wax.

Clutching the red candle, Artie breathed. "Ok."

"Okaay.." Claudia patiently waited, arms still crossed.

He could send Claudia to the B&B to find a suitable ceramic container. "You- Wait!" How were the creatures going to get into the new vase? They had to be protected from the atmosphere or they would die. " Wait…" He held a hand out to Claudia.

"Waiting…" She leveled a doubtful look at him.

Out of Leena… into a container… a filter? No, no, they aren't in her blood. Well, they could be; he didn't know for sure. He shook his head. They entered through the air, so… her lungs. They should be able to evacuate the same way. He put his hand to his head. Could they change the atmosphere of the office to make it survivable to the creatures? He glanced around at the ceiling. That was a lot of cubic space. Not that he knew how to filter the air- or what to filter for… He let out a frustrated sigh and scratched the back of his neck as his thoughts spun about at high speed.

He mentally started again. "Lungs… to vase." He mumbled. It was like going from the Warehouse to the outside, with the gap in between being the very air he was breathing. At least with the Warehouse they had the umbilicus. They just needed one for the….Artie straightened up and his shoulders relaxed. Claudia sat up, recognizing a break though. He looked wildly around the room until he dashed to the first aid kit. He ripped it off the wall and slammed it on a table. Claudia was next to him as he tore it open.

She looked at her boss who was digging through the supplies furiously. "What are we looking for?"

Suddenly Artie stopped, spotting his target. He dove into the box and pulled out a disposable breathing mask. He raised a corner of his mouth in a smirk at Claudia who raised her eyebrows, clearly not in on the joke. He dashed around her, nearly knocking her over. Almost diving into a corner of the office, he pulled out a green metal oxygen bottle. Attached to the bottle was a hose that could be hooked up to the mask in Artie's hands. He set the bottle down and pulled on the hose, twisting and quickly disconnecting it from the bottle.

Hose and tube in hand, Artie crossed the office again with Claudia in tow. "So… no oxygen?" Artie fastened the mask to the tube and thought. It would serve as an umbilicus to get the creatures from Leena into whatever container they were able to come up with. Once they were all in, he could seal the container and reshelf it. Artie straightened up. _Simple_.

He just needed the container. He would send Claudia and stay close to Leena, just in case. He turned quickly to find Claudia inches from him. He flinched and she stepped back. He sighed, but bottled his annoyance.

"Ok, go to Leena's. I need you to find a container." He set the tube and mask down to turn and pick up the old vase. "Pottery, uh… ceramic of some sort." He considered the vase for a split second. After spending a few hundred years in one small vase, he thought that creatures could use a bit more space. "At least as big as this, or… or bigger." He shoved the vase into her hands. "Preferably with some sort of top… or lid…" He mentally ran through the Bed and Breakfast but no such container leapt to his memory. "…of some sort, but… but if not, that's fine too… we can… wax…." He turned around to the wax candle but did a double take as his vision brushed over Leena sleeping. He stopped and stared at her without finishing his sentence. A sudden question filled him with dread and pushed all other thoughts from his mind. What if he was already too late? What were the creatures doing to Leena all this time?

Claudia stepped up and joined her suddenly stoic boss staring at the prone Leena. "I got it Artie." He glanced sideways at her; he had forgotten that she was there for a moment. "Don't worry. I'll find something. Be right back."

He managed a jerky nod. "K."

Claudia took off her outer half jacket and wrapped the delicate vase. She grabbed her keys and punched at the keypad, opening the door. Artie saw her jogging down the umbilicus before the door closed shut.

He sat down heavily into his desk chair, still staring at Leena. A few reflective moments later, Artie turned to his computer and started getting the warrant for the professor's office.


	11. Physics's Department

**Thanks for all of the reviews!**

**Kritchkow, you keep me going! Heh. **

**Mondo thanks to my betas, Maria Rene and Kendralynora and Lynnutte for all of thier help and dedication.**

**Looks like updates will be weekly for a while now. Hope you can hang.**

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><p>The Farnsworth's annoying buzz pierced the quiet in the Department of Astrophysics' lobby where Pete sat. Myka and HG took seats opposite him so that they could see down both side hallways and monitor the Professor's office door. The secretary for the department frowned at the disturbance.<p>

Pete grabbed at his pocket and said, "Sorry! That's me." He got up to answer the call with a bit more privacy. He said to the irked secretary, "I know, it's annoying. I keep meaning to chance the ring tone."

HG saw Myka smirk at her partner as he walked outside. Then the agent's green eyes glanced to the side at her.

"I… never properly thanked you for what you did for me." HG said.

Myka smiled. "I was happy to do it. You deserved a second chance." Her hair was pinned at the neck that set off her suit to ooze an aura of professionalism.

HG thought for a moment and considered the listening secretary. "I am glad to be back."

Myka smiled at her friend. HG knew that she picked up on the subtle 'thank you' that she intended.

"Everything you thought it would be?" Myka leaned back in her chair.

HG's eyes clouded with thought. "There are so many things that are amazing!" She could feel Myka smile at that. "It is nice to see that Princeton made it." HG's eyes sparkled with humor. She saw the secretary wearing a confused look at the conversation that she overheard.

Myka smirked at the secretary's confusion. She was sitting underneath a large round sign proudly displaying Princeton's over 265 years of existence.

"It's wonderful to see young people of all types learning together." They both watched as two female students walked in and spoke with the secretary. HG said, "Just to think that young people of this tim- er- today get to be educated at places like this." She gestured to the impressive building that they were in.

"Well, not everyone." Myka corrected her.

"Beg pardon?"

"Princeton is a private college. Ivy League at that. Very pricey." Myka lowered her voice a bit so as not to be overheard by the secretary in the room quite so much.

"Oh. I see." HG considered the information. "So, not every child has access to this kind of education?"

"Not hardly!" Myka huffed as quietly as she could.

HG frowned. She wasn't sure how she felt about only certain students getting the best education simply because they could afford it. What about the less wealthy students? Did they not get the same start in life? "So, students here buy their education?" Wells asked.

"Yes." Myka responded. Then she considered what HG could be thinking. "I mean, not everyone! There are scholarships and things like that."

"Scholarships." HG repeated.

"Yeah. They pay for a portion or sometimes all of their education." Myka shrugged. "Sometimes."

"Sometimes." HG parroted. "And for the others?"

Myka tilted her head. "Loans."

"Loans." HG continued her repeating.

"Or- less well known colleges. There is community college, technical schools. Many students don't go to college at all." Myka was going to go into the multitude of success stories of people who never went to college or left early and went on to great success, but HG interrupted her.

"What about you?"

"Me?"

"Yes. Did you go to a place like this?" HG asked. She hoped that she wasn't pressing too hard

Myka smiled but her eyes were downcast. HG wondered if she went too far in asking about her past and was about to take it back when Myka spoke.

"Not really. I did go to college. Top of my class."

"And you always wanted to be a Secret Service agent?" HG tilted her head forward a bit to see Myka's face a bit better.

Myka smiled sadly again. "No. Not always. But I did want to get somewhere and the Secret Service was about as far away from a bookstore in Colorado Springs as I could get at the time."

HG wondered what exactly that meant that Myka wanted to 'get away'. She was contemplating her response when Myka continued. "And they wanted me."

HG knew that there was more to that phrase than Myka let on. She knew that she had to prompt Myka too. "What was it like in Colorado?" HG asked.

Myka took a breath. She flashed her green eyes at HG. "Tense, to be honest." Myka stopped and put on that sad smile again.

HG didn't hesitate. She just reacted on emotion. "I'd like to hear about it. If you want to tell that is."

Myka shrugged. A motion that HG knew was meant to try to minimize whatever she was about to say. "Just my father. He was… he had high standards."

HG read into Myka's drawn face that told her that if her father had high standards, that meant that she didn't' measure up to them. HG frowned. "Didn't you protect the US President?"

"Yeah." Myka sort of laughed. "I'm just not what he wanted." She tried to shrug her statement off again.

"'Not what he wanted'?" HG parroted her again, out of sheer disbelief this time.

"He wanted a son." Myka huffed a laugh again with her half shrug.

"That's preposterous." HG said, incensed. "How could he not be thrilled to have someone such as you as his daughter?"

"Well, we're talking now. It's gotten better."

HG reached out her hand to rest it on top of Myka's, giving it a quick squeeze. "Sometimes you have to take the bad things and just, not let them take over." She took her hand back after a little, warm smile form her friend.

They looked up as Pete entered the lobby. Myka moved to get up, but Pete gave her a negative look that kept her seated. "Looks like Artie is still working on our paperwork."

HG whispered, "No warrant?"

"Not yet." Pete returned in a hushed voice. "Apparently all of the judges are in with the college. The first three that he called are actually adjuncts here." Myka huffed. "They're all in good with our Professor Muisser. He's still working at it, but it may take a while." Pete hesitated.

"What is it?" Myka questioned with her eyes as well.

"He sounded, ya know, distracted." Pete and Myka exchanged worried looks.

HG interrupted their silent communication. "When is he not distracted?"

Myka sat up and back allowing HG into the conversation a bit more. "He tends to get, more distracted when things happen." HG's brow was still drawn in confusion, so Myka added, "Things, back at the Warehouse for example."

"Last time, Claudia glued herself to the ceiling and nearly brought down the whole Warehouse on them!" Pete whispered strongly.

"Oh." HG considered that statement for a second before letting it fall into her "Anything Can Happen at the Warehouse" mental file.

"So, we patrol the area until then?" HG suggested.

"Yeah. I'm thinking we split. One on door duty." He motioned down the hallway to the closed office door. "And the other two can check out who else has access to his office."

HG and Myka nodded their agreement. Myka said, "Why don't you two go and talk to some people, I'll stay."

HG was surprised at her offer. She thought that Pete really didn't like her all that much, so time alone with him might be a really good idea, or a pretty poor one. But, if she was to work with him, the sooner they worked out their issues, the better. HG nodded at Myka and turned to Pete.

On the spot with his two partners looking at him, Pete quickly agreed to the plan.


	12. More Than One Way

**Thanks again everyone! Short one this time around, but it'll pick up soon! Promise.**

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><p>HG nearly jogged to keep up with Pete who walked quickly away from the Astrophysics building. Just as she was about to call to him, he slowed his pace, allowing HG to catch up. He threw her a smile, but HG knew that it was nothing like the wide, child like grins that he usually displayed. He was uncomfortable with her.<p>

She wanted to clear the air between the two of them, even if it wasn't going to be as easy as it was with Myka.

They started walking again, HG fell into to step beside him this time. "Pete?"

"Yeah?" Pete was suddenly interested in every other person on the campus.

"I, just realized that I thanked Myka for trusting me… after everything." She altered the discussion slightly to better suit what she thought Pete needed to hear. "But I haven't thanked you yet."

Pete huffed and squinted in a gesture that she already recognized as something that he did when he was really uncomfortable.

"It's nothing." His smile came back. HG thought he was a terrible liar, but she allowed the discussion to end, trying instead for a tactic of winning over Pete by solving the case and bagging the artifact.

"Right! Ok then." She took a deep breath, mimicking Pete on a subconscious level. "There has to be more than one way to get into that office." Pete let out the tension collecting in his chest.

HG smiled and let her British accent droll out. "Legally, of course." Pete did his laugh when he breathed out at the same time. _That worked_, HG thought.

"So." Pete clapped his hands together. "How do we get the good Professor to see things our way?"

"Do you think there is a way?"

Pete crinkled his nose as he considered. "Not really."

HG's lips parted into a smile, effected by his charm. "So, the question is…" Her eyes caught what she was looking for. "- is there another way into the office?"

Pete followed HG's gaze to a woman emptying the garbage bin.


	13. Herring

**I'm working to get these out in some sort of time here guys. Leena's a bit ticked that I left her in that condition for so long! It's coming along quickly I promise guys! :)**

**Thanks for the comments ya'all!**

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><p>Myka leaned back in her chair and put her elbow on the back of the chair. She examined her finger nails for a few minutes, eyes darting back down the hallway past the locked door. Fifteen minutes later she had settled on a National Geographic magazine, reading about super calderas when she heard a click down the hallway. She raised her head, but didn't see anything so she returned to her magazine, but her senses were alert and she kept her eyes on the professor's office door.<p>

A few seconds later, Myka's head snapped up at another click. She threw her magazine on the table and stood up when a woman came from the professor's office carrying a large business briefcase, like used for presentations.

The secretary also stood and rounded her desk to stand between Myka and the hallway as the woman disappeared around the bend in the hallway with the black container held to her chest.

"You can't go in there ma'am!" The secretary held out her hand to Myka.

Myka considered breaking said hand, and the arm behind it, but she knew that would be more hassle than it was worth. Not to mention they didn't have the legal authority to enter private areas of the building without permission, which they certainly weren't given. There was another way though. She could make sure that the fiddle didn't leave the building until Artie came through with the warrant, at least.

The thin agent looked again after the disappearing shadow of the woman and ripped her phone from her pocket with more strength than the secretary thought she possessed. Myka knew this because she flinched, much to her satisfaction.

Myka backed up and made it out the door before Pete picked up. "Pete! Activity at the office. I need you and HG back here now! I'm chasing a package out the back, get to the office and make sure it's not a decoy!" She jogged around the building to cut off the woman.

Rounding the corner, Myka pulled up to a stop. She saw two separate doors, but no sign of the woman. Thinking that she beat her, Myka jogged the length of the building to the far side. There was no exit door on that side.

Myka shaded her eyes from the afternoon sun. She tried to look through the crowd of students and faculty that seemed to constantly meander around the campus. The agent's internal clock was ticking away the seconds and she instinctively it was too long. The lady should have been out by now, that is, if she was coming this way at all. Myka hoped that Pete and HG weren't too far across campus. She certainly wasn't happy that she was drawn away from the office, but she couldn't risk losing the fiddle.

She stopped scanning, catching sight of the woman's brown head of hair as it slipped through the sparse crowd. Myka took off at a run after her.

The woman threw the large, black fabric container into the back seat of a car and got in the driver's seat. The car backed up then stopped suddenly when the brunette agent jumped in front of the hood, flashing her badge and screaming for her to stop.

Myka made the woman put the car into park then rounded the car with one hand on her weapon, the other holding her badge out like it had super powers.

Keeping an eye on the woman's hands, Myka peeked into the back seat. There was a large business case laid flat on the seat. Even from outside, Myka could see that it was roughly two inches thick, far too thin to hide the fiddle. She cursed inwardly and hoped that HG and Pete could cover her being suckered into leaving the office unwatched.


	14. Regroup

**Ok guys lets get things moving!**

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><p>Myka caught up with Pete and HG back in the Department of Astrophysics. She quickly relayed the events that drew her away from the office surveillance and the interview with the woman, who ended up being Professor Meissner's research assistant.<p>

She was finishing up when the office door clicked open again. The three agents strained to look down the hallway to the door to see the Professor coming out.

The secretary, now with reinforcements from campus security, stood between the antsy agents and the hall way, sorely tempting HG to see how long it would take her to drop the tall one to his knees.

HG saw that the professor looked shaken. She called out to him as a long shot. "Professor Muissner!"

He looked up at the agents held up at the end of the hallway. HG was surprised at the lack of color and raw fear in the man's face. This was a very different man from the calm, collected professor who blocked them at their every turn.

The man hesitated, looking torn, then came towards them. "Agents…" Professor Muissner looked at HG. "Will… might I call you?"

Pete pulled out his card before Myka. He reached over the security guards and held the card out to the professor who took it tentatively. "Call us professor. We're here to help you." Pete said as sincerely as he could.

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><p>HG joined Pete and Myka around the corner of the Astrophysics building. Myka looked around and the women formed a bit of a wedge, shielding Pete from prying eyes as he pulled out the Farnsworth.<p>

A few buzzes later, Artie's black and white image appeared. HG inwardly took a breath. Pete was right, he looked frazzled. HG decided that from now on she would gauge her superior's mental state by the state of his eyebrows alone.

"Artie! Hey. Everything ok?" Pete tried.

"What? Ya. What's up?" Artie frowned into the little screen. HG caught Pete and Myka exchange a look and a little shrug. At least Pete tried to find out what was going on.

"Listen, we got to the professor."

"Great!" Artie sounded like he wanted to be excited, but his bushy eyebrows didn't un-bunch. "Anything else?"

"Well, we um- _maybe_ lost the fiddle." Pete cringed even as he said it.

"WHAT? You had it locked down!" Artie yelled. His eyebrows came even closer together.

Myka spoke up from the side of the Farnsworth. "Artie, they threw up a decoy. It was like… they knew exactly what would work."

Artie rubbed his hands down his face. "Yeah. Ok- that's the artifact. Not your fault." HG was surprised that he didn't launch into one of his rants.

"See? THIS is why it is so dangerous!" He leaned into the screen. HG apparently eliminated the possibility of a rant too soon. "That's what it does! It allows who ever plays it to see HOW things happen. It's how Einstein figured out the relation of space and time, the fiddle _showed _it to him." He paused before saying. "Probably how Muissner figured out to avoid you." He thought for a second, looking to something off to the side of the Farnsworth screen.

The supervisor put his forehead down to the heel of his hand. "Uh… ok." He checked his watch. "Where's the professor now?"

"He left Artie. But he didn't have the fiddle, so we're still on the office."

"No, no, no." Artie shook his head emphatically and leaned forward. "If he left, it's because he knows that the fiddle isn't in danger. Either you can't get in or it's not there anymore. Either way, he knows already. Listen, I'm going to, um" he checked his small watch again. "I'm coming out there."

HG piped up. "Artie, Pete and I have a lead on the man who cleans the professor's office. He may be willing to let us in after hours."

Myka followed up. "And the woman who took the decoy from the office is his research assistant, Artie."

"Yeah. Ok. So it was a set up." He didn't acknowledge her statement HG noticed. Artie looked to the side of the Farnsworth again, like he was watching something. "Listen, stay put, keep an eye out. I'll call you back." The image on the screen reduced to a single bright point when Artie closed the connection from his end.


	15. Up and Gone

**Thanks to everyone reading still. I'm getting impatient of Leena giving me dirty looks, so lets take care of her and get things moving! **

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><p>Leena woke up.<p>

Artie leaned over her, eyes anxious with worry. "Leena?"

"Hey Artie." She drolled out, getting her tongue to work.

He let out a breath of relief that took a hundred-pound weight off of his shoulders. She started to get up but he put a hand on her shoulder, keeping her in place.

"Don't move." With his other hand he checked his tiny wrist watch. "Give it another 20 seconds."

"Twenty seconds?" He saw her notice the oxygen mask on her face. She brought her hand to the mask and followed the tube until her fingers came to the flower vase that Claudia brought from the B&B. "Artie, what happened?"

"Twelve seconds." His didn't take his eyes from the second hand except to glance and make sure that Leena didn't inadvertently take the evacuation tube from the vase.

"Artie, I feel fine." She pushed off the couch again, but he pressed her shoulder down a little more firmly.

"They're probably vacated by now, but, just.. to make… sure…" he drew out his words to stall for time.

"'They'? Artie what's going on?"

"Later." He knew that he was being short with her, but he had other priorities at the moment and he knew that he could explain things to her where there was more time. With Leena awake, he figured that the creatures were gone, but he wanted to wait a few more seconds to make sure that they all made the journey along the breathing tube into their new home.

When the time was up he said, "Ok. Claudia." He pulled the mask off of Leena and held it up so that the tube was vertical. Claudia knelt and with her purple gloved hands she held a plastic top crimped so that it tapered smaller at the bottom. She grasped the tube while Artie shook it out to help guarantee that every tiny member of the minuscule society made it into the vase. Pulling the tube from the wax-sealed opening, Claudia dropped in the plastic top that loosely plugged the hole, temporally holding it in place with her finger.

Artie lifted the mask and tube up and threw it on the deck carelessly. "Wax!" Claudia ordered.

"Yeah, yeah!" he said. He grabbed the pre-heated sealing wax off of the desk and rushed to her side. "Finger!"

"Yeah, yeah!" she said. They coordinated their efforts and he poured the wax onto the hole at the same time that she removed her finger holding the cap in place. In short order, the hole was filled and cooling. Artie removed the hot, little bowl and set it on the table. Claudia carefully picked up the vase, holding it securely in both hands. Artie was glad to see her treating the vase with the respect that housing a unique, intelligent society deserved.

He turned back to Leena. "How do you feel?" His brown eyes peered at her from behind his round glasses.

"Artie! I'm fine!" Her eyes were clear and sharp. Judging from his own experience, he could see that she was benefiting from the same sort of rush that he felt after being possessed by members of the microscopic society, except that he expected her euphoria would last longer. She looked, around trying to remember coming back to the office, he figured, but he had other pressing matters now that she was ok. "What is going on?" she asked.

"Um—Claudia can fill you in." He grabbed his bag and headed towards the door. "Claudia!" The girl tuned around after putting the vase in a cushioned box. "Um… " he motioned to the caretaker on the couch. "Leena…"

Claudia didn't need prompting. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll take care of it."

"Ok. And… um…" He spotted a spectral analyzer that he could use in the proper circumstance. He grabbed it and threw it into his bag. "Uh…" He hesitated, losing his train of thought. Claudia cleared his throat loudly, getting his attention. She held out his Farnsworth for him with a wise ass look on her face. He snatched the device from her and tossed it into his bag as well, scowling to her as a warning against her sarcasm.

Refocusing, he said, "Ok… ok." He focused for a split second, quickly reviewing the items in his bag, the case that his agents were on, obstacles that they were facing and what he was planning on doing about it. After his mind flashed over all of it with lightning speed, he brought himself back to the present. Claudia was still staring at him patiently, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah. Ok." He glanced at Leena one last time, verifying her condition. Everything finally seemed under control. If he hurried, he could make it to Princeton by this afternoon, so he simply said, "Bye." Artie pointed his remote and pushed the button with one motion and scampered out the door.


	16. Progress

**For those of you still here, thanks. **

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><p>An hour after Artie's flight landed, and a briefing, the team split up, guy and gals. HG was paired with Myka and sent to question the professor, seeing as how he responded to her call in the hallway and asked for her when Pete answered. HG found out that Artie was hesitant to break up the team of Myka and HG when they had a real chance of progress with the professor. He and Pete would go after the cleaning man, Maurice, at his local hangout, a dive bar on the bad side of town.<p>

HG and Myka climbed up stairs to the location that Professor Muissner gave them over the phone. HG didn't have to match Myka's stomps with her own. The intentional hurdles that Professor Muissner was throwing up in front of them had her as steamed as much as her partners. The investigation wasn't going well and she knew that no matter what time she was in.

They exchanged a brief look the moment before Myka raised her hand to knock on the door.

The few seconds that passed next lingered until the door opened to reveal a middle aged woman. She wore a sleek skirt outfit that complimented the highlights in her dark brown hair. The entry way she stood in had large white tile and a neutral brown color on the walls. "Come in agents. Dwayne told me that you were on your way. He's in the living room."

The lady stood back allowing the agents to enter the house. She led them past a granite and stainless steel kitchen into the tastefully designed living room.

Professor Muissner stood when he saw HG and Myka. "Thank you for coming Agents. I'm sorry that I've been so difficult with your investigation. I felt the need to protect my property, you understand."

"But now, that's changed?" HG offered.

"Yes. Well…. Yes."

Myka wasn't satisfied. "Why? What changed your mind?"

"There—I just realized that there are some things not worth the risk." The Professor's eyes went to his wife sitting in the room. "And I definitely saw a risk." He swallowed uncomfortably. HG saw his stress filled eyes shift back to Myka. "If I, if you get the fiddle, what would happen to it?"

"We put it where it can't hurt anyone else." Myka said firmly yet tenderly.

He hesitated, looking at his wife again, so HG added. "Professor, this is our job, and we do it well. You can trust us with it."

The Professor seemed to listen to HG. His took a breath and relaxed. "Ok. You can have it. Just—be careful, it's dangerous."

"How so Professor?" HG asked.

"It… it, sucks you in. It shows you things, which is wonderful, but then you never want to leave." He cringed as if remembering an unpleasant dream. "Just take it away. It's too dangerous."

"We will." Myka stated. "Just tell the university to remove the extra security that you have and give us access to your office."

"Security? I didn't call in security. Oh God- Laurie." The Professor eyes went wide and worried. "She's been relentless lately, pushing the research forward. I used the fiddle twice last week just to try to get the breakthroughs that she's insisting we can make. But, it can't be done! That violin is just- it's too much. I didn't want to come out last time! A second lasts a hour when you play it. If I use it again…. I- I won't come home to my wife. I just know it." Muissner's face went red with emotion. His wife stood and went to him. He put a grateful arm around her shoulder.

HG thought out loud, "Why would she have campus security come to your office?"

The professor started to shrug, but his wife said. "She knows."

Muissner looked at his wife who added. "Dwayne, you're an easy read to those who know you."

They couple exchanged a sad set of smiles. "If she knows, then you have to expect that she'll use it. She's ruthless." He gave the agents a pathetic look. "It's what made her such a great researcher."

Myka was the first to put things into motion. "Professor, what we need you to do is call your office and get them to let us in!" He nodded his agreement. "Ok, we'll head there right now. The artifact won't be your problem anymore Professor." She gave the couple a firm look of resolve to erase any unspoken doubts they might have had.

HG and Myka showed themselves out.


	17. Lucky's

**Happy Sunday!**

**Time for my favorite chapter guys! The one that started this whole story! Here it is!**

**Lucky's Bar! :)**

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><p>Pete and Artie found the bar with the green awning bearing a large, single shamrock on it. There was no parking around the bar, so Pete pulled along the opposite side of the street. They got out and found themselves walking up to the front door of "Lucky's Bar."<p>

"We know what this guy looks like Artie?" Pete asked.

"Yeah. Claudia pulled his picture." Artie responded from under his fedora hat.

"He have a record?" Pete reached for the handle on the door leading to the bar.

"No. A Face Book page." Artie held up a printout of a picture of friends at a party. One was circled. He stuffed the picture back in his pocket after Pete glanced at it.

Pete paused with his hand on the door to give a doubtful look to his short boss who just shrugged and raised his eyebrows in denial of it being his idea.

The bar looked like a dingy place that neither Pete nor Artie really wanted to go inside of. Pete opened the door before he could change his mind.

Inside, the bar was even dirtier than its outward appearance. The entire establishment was one room with a bar slapped against the right side and a few tables and chairs to justify the rest of the space. Artie spied one back door; Pete eyed half a dozen large and grungy looking locals.

Pete glanced around and slid up to the bar in front of the middle aged bar woman. He figured that he might get some results with a bit of charm. "So, are you 'Lucky'?" he referred to the bar's name and threw on a smile.

Without missing a beat the bar keep said, "Nope. That's Lucky." She motioned down to the far end of the bar where a white and brown pit bull sat on a bar stool. The man next to the dog poured out a beer into a low bowl and set the beer back in front of the dog who lapped it up lazily. It was then that Artie noticed the cookie jar filled with dog biscuits behind the bar.

Pete huffed out a laugh at the dog, but his smile faded when he realized no one else was laughing. The bar woman was straight faced as she asked "What can I get ya?"

"Ah… actually, I'm… we're looking for a friend of ours." Pete rushed before he could get shut down. "A guy called Maurice. About this tall, brown hair, mustache… " He trailed off at the blank look that the bar tender perfected. "Listen, I know he comes in here."

"What if he does?" a large American Indian called out.

"Then I'd like to talk to him!" Pete said. "You know where he is?"

"I know he doesn't like to be found." Artie saw the Indian's pot face as he turned towards them.

Artie stepped forward. "Tell 'Maurice' that we need to talk to him." He didn't turn, but glanced towards a fat man who stood in reaction to Artie's steps. "It's for his own good."

The fat, dirty man to Artie's right just laughed. An even dirtier man pushed his chair out and stood up stepping towards the short, arrogant man threateningly. Artie shifted his attention to the large Indian looming before him when the fat man hit him in the stomach. Artie let out an "Omph!" and crumbled to the floor.

"HEY!" Pete jumped forward and shoved the fat man. "Try that one someone your own…" he took in the man's girth "uh- age!" He drew up to his full height, sounding a little more obnoxious than he intended. He held still and set his jaw when he saw a fist fly towards his face.

Pete hit the ground, splayed out on his back by where Artie was curled on the ground coughing lightly. Pete's head was a foot from his boss's.

"Thanks for that." Artie groaned.

"No problem." Pete opened his jaw to make sure it still worked. He rolled his head up and backwards to glance behind Artie's spectacles. "You ready to kick their ass?"

"Yup!" Artie croaked out.

Pete rolled to his stomach and pushed off the floor ignoring the filth and puddles of old beer. He caught a half hearted kick and tossed the leg aside giving Artie time to pick himself up. Pete leapt to his feet and squared off against the hard hitting fat man and another leather clad biker.

On his feet, the Warehouse supervisor shoved the large Indian guy hard, sending him backwards over a table. Strong arms grabbed Artie from behind and squeezed, half lifting him up. Struggling to free himself, he saw someone grab a stick and start towards Pete. Unable to break the grip around him, Artie bent his knee up and kicked a bar stool sending it skidding into the man; tripping him and sending him sprawling.

Pete blocked a high punch from a skinny man who joined the fight. With his other hand Pete grabbed the man low. Yelling, Pete pulled and lifted the man up and threw him onto a table.

Artie got a foot on the floor and pushed hard. The man behind him had his back driven into the bar, loosening his grip just enough for Artie to shift and stick his elbow into the man's gut, breaking his grip. Artie turned and wound up, dropping the man with a quick left hook.

Pete's head snapped to the side as the biker hit him. He staggered backwards and stepped on the man who was untangling himself from the bar stool on the floor. The fat man grabbed at Pete who back handed him. Then Pete charged the biker. He grabbed the man's leather jacket and backed him into the wall then buried his fist in the biker's gut.

Adrenalin pumping, Artie turned quickly and saw a bar stool flying at him. He was quick enough to dodge the stool swung at his head, but not the splintered wood that flew when the stool broke apart on the bar. A leg flew at Artie, hitting his arm. He bit down a scream and leaned on the bar, left arm hanging at his waist. Sensing weakness, the man was quickly on top of Artie. There was a small click then Artie shoved off of the man and stepped back. The man followed, but was stopped short by a tug at his left arm. Confused, he looked down to find that he was handcuffed to the bar.

Artie shook out his arm and turned around looking for Pete. The young agent socked the fat man in the jaw, staggering him. Pete grabbed the man's shirt and pulled back to finish him off, but seeing the fat man bent over, he just gave him a push and let him fall to the floor.

Pete turned around and saw Artie standing among the fallen bar patrons. He smirked, breathless and pointed at his boss then waved at the men groaning about him. "You…"

Also breathing heavy, Artie had to chuckle at Pete's enthusiasm. He looked at the destruction and responded, "Yeah." He saw the man that Artie tripped up with the bar stool collecting himself and eyeing the door.

Pete followed Artie's gaze. "This our guy?"

Artie nodded. "That's him."

Pete grabbed the man's shirt and lifted him to his feet. "We got words for you pal!" He shoved the guy ahead of him and Artie towards the door.


	18. The Fiddle

**Thanks for those that are still reading, here we go! Next reviewer gets to be the even number 50th reviewer!**

**Thanks for the reviews MR, and Kritchkow, and of course Maria Rene! (As always MR! ;) **

**Thanks also to Kendralynora and MR! I owe you two for being my betas and taking my abuse, as unintended as it is! **

**Here's the big idea that I had. Let me know if it works! **

**(/me sighs big, closes eyes and hits "Publish")**

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><p>HG and Myka raced back to the Department of Astrophysics. On the way they called Pete and Artie to let them know that they finally got the Professor's permission to enter his office. HG could tell that Pete was a bit miffed, but he said that they were on their way too. Myka stepped on the gas. She wanted to get to that fiddle before anyone else had a chance to play it. With the Professor's assistant in the picture now, they couldn't be sure that the woman wouldn't take the fiddle when she realized that the Professor was letting it go.<p>

As expected, the women arrived first. HG matched steps with Myka as the ladies stomped past a dark haired engaged in stacking pickles. HG did a double take at the odd behavior, but Myka shrugged it off, so they continued on. They ran up to the building and past the stunned secretary, then down the hallway to the Professor's office only to be met with the brown haired assistant and two beefy campus security guards.

Myka started talking loud and fast. "We have Professor Muissner's permission to go his office."

"The professor wouldn't let you in his office! You've been trying to get in there since you came on campus!" the woman said.

Myka reached for her pocket slowly, as to not provoke the two guards. HG kept eyes on them. They looked like they were itching for a fight and that assistant woman was egging them on.

Myka pulled out her cell phone. "Let's call the Professor right now. Get this all cleared up. Ok?" She held the phone out.

"You get out of here first." She said. She does have guts, HG thought. She instantly disliked the woman.

HG said. "We're not going anywhere until we get in that office."

HG and Myka squared off against the brown haired assistant and her two guards.

Then, one made his move. The guard closest to Myka lurched forward. Myka stepped up quickly and suddenly very close to him, she stuck her hands out in front of him and the other guard. "Fellas!" a feminine, disarming laugh, "We're all on the same side here. No need to get physical is there?" Her extreme closeness made the one man step back half a step. Myka's body position cut off the assistant and other guard from the office door. Myka put her hands on front of the one guard who could stop them. "HG!"

HG took advantage of Myka's position and slipped around her into the office door. The assistant yelled, but Myka held them back with a few well placed shoves and lots of talking.

HG's jet black hair poked around the corner, she peered into the next room. Seeing the room empty, she quickly walked into the room. She had to find the fiddle quickly while Myka distracted the assistant, so she rapidly searched the Professor's desk looking for anything large enough to hide a fiddle.

After finding nothing interesting in the desk drawers, Wells took in the office in general. "Fiddle…If I were a fiddle, where would I hide?" She said to herself quickly.

The bottom of the bookcase had two baskets stylishly placed instead of books. She pulled these out but they only held extra office supplies. Turning around, she eyed the desk from the side. Something about it was nagging her. It appeared wider than she thought. Wells went to the front of the desk on a hunch. She opened a deep desk drawer that she had already searched. Instead of looking to make sure that a violin case wasn't in it, she pulled it all the way out. The back of the drawer was shallower that she thought that it should be.

HG smiled in excitement. She pulled the drawer out all the way and looked into the hole that it left. Her smile faded into disappointment then confusion when she saw only the back of the desk. She stuck her arm in and felt wood. She frowned. She knew that something was off, but she wasn't seeing what. She put the drawer back in. Standing, she went around the desk and viewed it from the side again.

Slowly her confused expression cleared and her mouth slacked open at the same time she tilted her head to the side. She squinted her eyes and bent down. Running her fingers down the side of the desk, she could barely feel a small gap between the outer wood and the desk structure vary, indicating inconsistent bondage. Looking on the opposite side of the drawers and then back, Wells used her fingernails to grip the edge and pulled.

The back of the drawers pulled open with a snap when the magnets holding it closed gave away. HG caught the door as it opened. From inside the small space, fell a soft cover violin case.

"Hello darling!" she whispered, an excited smile on her lips.

HG put the case on the desk. She put on neutralizer gloves before attempting to bag the fiddle. She took a breath then carefully unzipped the soft music case. Her breath was taken from her when she opened the case and laid her eyes on the old violin. Einstein's fiddle… she had it, after all this time.

Wells picked up the old instrument and cradled it in both hands and admired that such an unsuspecting thing could be such a powerful artifact. It was nothing really, an old, scratched instrument, in need of repair, but, she breathed out considering the amazing things that it could do. To be able to see anything that you thought of, what kind of power is that to possess?

HG blinked herself out of her admiration. She saw the bow in the case and reached for it to bag both items at the same time. Then she stopped, in her one hand she held the powerful fiddle and in the other the way to leash it's power, the bow. The realization hit her with a near physical force. Anything that she wanted to know, any mystery in this life, she had the chance to find the answer to. The bow went closer to the fiddle almost on it's own. Her face went even whiter than her usual, pale color. She stepped back and pulled the bow away, breathing deeply. She had to bag the fiddle.

Her hand went to lay the bow on the table to get the neutralizer bag out of her pocket. After a moment, she looked at her hand. It still gripped the bow. HG's brow crinkled in conflict. This was her one chance to find out the things she needed to know. She was uniquely positioned to be able to save this planet from the society that occupied it. She needed to know if that was as needed as she suspected. How else could she now for sure? This was the only chance to find out. She swallowed hard, suddenly near tears. She didn't want this responsibility, but there was no one else.

Almost by itself the bow slowly neared the fiddle. HG knew a hundred reasons why she shouldn't use the fiddle, but she also knew one why she should, Christina. Things were no better now then they were before, were they? She had to find out.

The bow pushed across the fiddle string producing an off note.

Helena gasped as the office she was in disappeared. Dark and light whirled and formed brick and asphalt, depositing her on an inner city street. Chain linked fence separated children's playground from a busy street. HG saw everything nearly at once. She saw the gang on the corner that followed a child and beat him up once they were out of site of the teacher. The fiddle pushed Wells through the wall of the school and she found herself in the hall way. There teenagers giggled in groups, but one. HG glanced around, but suddenly she was inches from the young teen hugging her knees on the floor. Wells leaned in to look at the girl's face and saw tears rolling down.

Anger rose in HG. Where were the parents for these children? Were there no teachers to provide guidance and protection? The walls dissolved and reformed into an overstuffed classroom. A teacher wrote on a board, turning to yell at a boy, only just maintaining order. Some children had no desk but sat in chairs in the back. A few children whispered among themselves in another language, clearly uninterested in the lesson. HG looked down at the teacher's desk. She could see through the woman's purse and into a small pile of papers, two of which were bills marked "Past Due". Wells looked up as a girl just walked out of the classroom without permission, much to the teacher's relief.

The scene whirled and she saw people cleaning up the park in daylight, then that same park filled with drug addicts in the night. The fiddle revealed workers coming home every night, babies being born, old people refusing to leave their homes as their neighborhood deteriorated around them. It showed politicians talking about 'revival' and young people out of work. She saw robberies, and violence, car crashes and little, friendly acts from strangers that make life tolerable.

As intelligent as she was, HG felt her brain being overloaded. Had society today made life inescapable from suffering? What was the point? To… to live and die in a continual struggle for survival that society created? She saw several generations of the same family live and die in the neighborhood, bobbing above and below poverty.

Frustration rose in Wells. Was it like this everywhere? Was this a local problem? She needed to know. In response to her thoughts she was whisked across a distance to another city and shown much the same site, this time along a lake. Just as she was taking in the squalor the walls dissolved and the land whisked by again to another city. This one she recognized as Chicago. Again and again she saw famous landmarks in the background of horrible living conditions. Homelessness in San Francisco, slums in Calgary and Tokyo, terribly overcrowding in Jakarta and Delhi, food shortages in Moscow, repression in Cairo and Johannesburg, unemployment in Paris and her own London, isolation in the middle of New York, and hopelessness in Lima and Mexico City.

Desperation rose in Wells. She had known all along. The hope that she felt when she first came into this future had be chipped away daily by the horrible reality that this world was sick. They did terrible things to the Earth and to each other. Tears fell down her cheeks. Was there no hope at all?

She did know one option. Her heart broke to even consider it, but _she_ did have one solution, her safety line to be used only as a last resort. Were things truly that bad? Could she even do what had to be done?

Could she use her ultimate way out? Her "reset" option? Was that possible? Suddenly she found herself in the sunshine. After the city scenes, the bright sunlight hurt the agent's eyes. Blinking, Wells found herself in a wilderness.


	19. Back up

**Thanks to all of those still here and reading. I'm releasing this 12 hours early to fullfill a request. Please pardon the interruption to the schedule.**

**Kudos to Kritchkow, Jimmy, and HG (gasp) for the reviews!**

**MR and Kends and Lynn, you know I can't thank you enough. **

**Let's not leave our agents stuck in the fiddle! Let's see if they can get out of Yellowstone, shall we? **

**Back to the action!**

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><p>Pete jogged up the hall way not waiting for Artie. He turned the corner to find Myka arguing with two security officers and an angry looking assistant.<p>

"Sir! Turn around and leave!"

Pete tried to not provoke the tense situation any further, but Myka looked like she needed back up. "Don't think I can do that!" Unfortunately, that was all the prompting that the two guards needed.

"That's it! Turn around!" He grabbed Myka's arm and tried to spin her around, but she stepped back pulling the man into her and wrenched his arm behind his back.

Pete rushed the second guard as he was pulling out his night stick. He backed the man against the wall and stuck his other hand out to the assistant. "You stay right there."

Just then Artie tore up the hallway. He took in the situation with a glance.

"Artie! HG!" Myka nodded to the office door. "She went after the fiddle!" The supervisor sprinted into the office as fast as he could. He knew that a powerful artifact in the hands of someone like HG was a lethal situation.

Artie saw HG standing by the desk, back to the door. Then he heard the long, single note. He gasped. She was playing the fiddle. He dashed to the other side of the desk, to the front of his agent. "Wells?" The raven haired woman was staring straight ahead, holding the fiddle down by her side, pulling the bow across it at her waist. She looked paler than he remembered her and her eyes were wet as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

The supervisor thought quickly. He guessed that the fiddle depended on the vibrations of the music somehow, but he didn't have anything in his bag to stop music. Unless, he physically stopped the vibrations of the strings…

Artie looked into Wells' unseeing eyes then had to remember to breathe. Mind made up, he didn't hesitate. Artie quickly grabbed the bow and neck of the violin at the same time. The note went off tune, but didn't stop immediately. It produced a pressure wave that hit the old man in the face, blowing his hair back. He gasped as he was pulled by the power of the violin even through his neutralizing gloves. He was dimly aware of his hand slipping from the bow.

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><p>The walls dissolved into puddles and Wells disappeared. Artie spun around taking in a clear summer day in a forest clearing. Where was he? Some sort of park? This was obviously from the fiddle. Why was he there? "Wells!" He called out to the sky. She was playing the fiddle, these must be her thoughts. "<em>HG!<em>"

The trees, rocks, even the water spring and the sky certainly looked real but he knew that he was in the fiddle. He had to pull himself out if it. He looked at his hand. He opened and closed it. But, did he really? His real hand was holding onto the neck of the fiddle. He closed his hand and focused on it, imagining the fiddle in his grip. Artie closed his eyes. None of this was real, not the sunshine he felt on his face, not the grass, the pool of spring water, none of it. The fiddle, that was real. He needed to stop Wells from pulling the bow across the strings.

The fiddle showed people what they thought. So, Artie just had to focus on the office that he left, **if** it would respond to two people's thoughts. And he only got a glimpse of the office before grabbing the instrument. He imagined the fiddle, and his hand around it, shutting his eyes tight in the effort. He clenched his fist, pulling his arm to him. He willed the fiddle to be real, for Wells to be standing in front of him. Then, Artie realized that his arm was still extended. He was getting resistance. His eyes flew open and he breathed with renewed hope. He focused and pulled harder, able to feel the neck in his hand.

Artie's face went slack as he focused with all of his ability. He breathed deeply, and pulled. This time he felt movement, real movement. Encouraged, he pulled harder, grunting with the effort. The clearance misted away from him leaving Wells standing in Professor's office. Artie realized that his eyes were open and he was able to see his hand on the fiddle. Wells continued to slowly saw the bow across the strings, caught in her trance. He grunted and forced his hand to move another inch. The forest threatened to close in, powered by the fiddle. He knew that he wasn't going to be able to fend off its influence much longer. With a monumental force of will, Artie pulled his arm to his chest breaking contact with the bow.

Suddenly, the office came into full view. Artie shook his head to clear it from the cobwebs. Wells gasped and slumped against the desk. She looked around the office wide eyed. Clutching the fiddle, Artie put out a hand and stumbled against the wall, with wobbly knees and out of breath. After leaning heavily against the wall for a moment, he fished into his pocket for a neutralizing bag but stopped when one was held out for him. He quickly looked up to see a somber Wells holding open a bag for him.

"You ok?" he looked into her eyes as she nodded and murmured in the affirmative. He nodded back. They would both live.

"Bow first." Artie nodded to the bow tucked under Wells' arm. He didn't want her to have the bow and be able to pull the fiddle out of the bag.

Wells pulled out the bow and dropped it into the large neutralizer bag. The two agents looked in the bag after it threw out a lone spark. HG shrugged slightly at the lack of reaction to which the supervisor scowled. He held out the fiddle and pried his fingers off of the neck where he had clutched it for the last few minutes.

Myka rushed into the room just as the fiddle dropped. "Whoa!" She pulled up and held up an arm as all three agents ducked from the intense sparks and lights coming from the neutralizer bag. After the sparks mostly subsided, Wells closed the bag and sealed it.

Myka stood and brushed a stray hair from her face. The normally serious agent broke out into a grin when she saw HG clutching the neutralizer bag. Artie swore that it looked like pride on her face seeing HG bag an artifact. He looked to HG and saw that she looked shaken.

Immediately forgetting his own trembling insides, Artie pushed off the wall to grab both of HG's arms and peer into her eyes. "You ok?" he asked again. HG nodded, but this time Artie didn't believe her forced toughness. He guided her over to the desk, where Myka pulled out the desk chair. "Here, sit. Sit." Artie gripped her arm until he deposited her in the chair.

Myka and Artie looked intently at the pale English agent. Artie grabbed the bag containing the fiddle from her and handed it to Myka then turned back to HG. Her dark eyes were downcast and red, as if they were sore and she swayed slightly.

"Hey." Artie grabbed her shoulder in concern. HG raised her deep, dark eyes to look at him. Artie blinked in surprise at the depth of sorrow in them.

She blinked slowly and said, "I think the artifact took more out of me than I realized." HG forced a smile out for her two concerned colleagues.

"Just take a minute." Myka offered helpfully. HG gave her a quick smile which Myka returned. "But you got it!" Myka referenced the violin in her hands. "The two of you!" She grinned at HG and her boss in turn, ecstatic to see that they both survived working together.

"Yeah." Artie said quietly, distracted. He blinked in thought. What was going on with Wells? Why that depth of, what was it? Sadness? What happened to make that change? He was dragged into her thoughts by the fiddle and he ended up in a park. What could possibly be traumatic about a park?

"…Pete."

He realized that Myka was talking to him. "What?"

"I said I'm going to check on Pete. He had his hands full with security." She said. HG stood up, back in control of her emotions. "HG, you sure? Don't rush it." Myka put a hand on the woman's shoulder in obvious concern.

"Yes, I'm fine!" she paused looking at Myka. "Honestly, it was just a momentary dizziness. It's passed." She smiled. "Lets go help your partner."

Artie flinched at 'your partner' instead of 'our partner'. He watched the two women leave and took a deep breath to settle his insides from the effects of the fiddle. Taking another look around the office, he reached for the bagged fiddle when he noticed that his watch stopped. He shook it and raised it to his ear, then winced at the silence. Artie unfastened the leather band of the small watch and flicked it in the garbage can. That one had lasted nearly two weeks. He'd have to get another cheap watch from town. At least the small ones seemed to withstand artifact energies better than large ones.

Sighing, Artie grabbed the fiddle and joined his team.


	20. Home

**Thanks to everyone for the reviews, expecially Kritchkow, and for reading. This is the final chapter in what was an experiment. I have learned a lot that I hope to apply to my other writings. Thank you for taking this journey with me. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I have.**

**Thank you one more time to Maria Rene and Kendralynora and Lynnutte, my beta-ers and friends. Your encouragement is priceless to me.**

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><p>Back at Leena's Bed and Breakfast the team pulled up and drug themselves in, looking forward to some rest and relaxation. All except Leena herself that is. The caretaker of the establishment had found the energy to replant the shrubs and flowers around the entire building, and trim the trees, and patch the fence.<p>

When the weary team came through the door, Leena informed them all of a few other changes that she was able to get done while riding the high from her possession of the microscopic society.

"Pete, your room is now green, but a manly green. I think you'll like it. Myka, I thought you would like a nice pale yellow. HG, I thought you would be more of a richer red, like your aura, and Artie-"

"I liked my room!" He quickly threw out.

"And Artie…" Leena repeated. "I just repainted your room, the exact same color!" She grinned widely, only just suppressing a giggle.

Pete adjusted his bag on his shoulder and climbed the stairs with Leena and Myka and HG. "Sounds like you've been busy!"

"Oh you should see Claudia's room!" came the response with an un-repressible giggle that was echoed by the group.

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><p>Hours later, Leena did calm down, although the pleasant feeling of losing a few years of age lasted much longer. She went about her establishment, picking up the odds and ends after the disorganized team blew through. She was dusting off Pierre in the entry way when she heard a deep, soft rumble.<p>

Leena thought with a confused look on her face for a moment. Pierre tilted his head. "You heard that right?" The little painted man nodded at her. Leena put the duster down and went to investigate. She followed the noise to the library, but was still unable to find the source as it disappeared. A second later, it came again, from very nearby. The lady rounded the couch in front of her to find Artie, fast asleep, snoring lightly but deeply.

The clairvoyant smiled at the site of the exhausted supervisor. This case was complicated and he was running at full steam just to keep everyone working together. Carefully, she plucked the small, rounded glasses from their crooked position on his face. She folded them and placed them on the table within his reach. Then she noticed a book on the floor that obviously fell from his grip. She closed the book and looked at the cover. "Parks of the World." She shook her head. Leena never could guess what would capture Artie's interest from one moment to the next. Perhaps he was finally thinking about taking some free time. Experiencing a national park or two would do him good she thought.

**Fin.**


	21. Ch 25  Deleted Scene

**Sometimes I see scenes and I just have to get them down on paper to connect the dots for myself, but they aren't always completely necessary. As with this scene. Sort of cute- but it doesn't serve a real purpose so I cut it. My beta-ers agreed. (Thanks Kendralynora!)**

**But as a bonus, here it is. This takes place inbetween Chapters 2 and 3. So- the morning after Artie stayed up all night researching about Einstein's Fiddle and before leaving the Warehouse where he runs into Mrs. F. **

**Once again, big thanks to everyone who reviewed and read and favorited!**

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><p>Claudia strode into Artie's office the next morning tentatively. She had a suspicion where her boss was so she purposefully made herself known, throwing her bag on the table noisily and sliding her chair out with as much noise as possible.<p>

After hearing noises from the loft, Claudia started some coffee. Once it was brewing, she leaned over Artie's desk and picked up a pair of briefing folders, clearly intended for Pete and Myka.

Moments later, Artie himself shuffled down the black iron spiral staircase running his fingers through his unruly curls.

"Dr. Robert Meissner?" Claudia said to the office in general. Her feet were on her part of the desk while she perused the open files in her lap.

"What?" responded Artie with half an eye open. He stumbled towards the smell of brewing coffee.

"This guy." Claudia tapped the small picture from what looked to be a trade journal that was clipped to the file in her hands. "New case? Did you get a ping?" Claudia closed the file and dropped her feet to the floor to push her wheeled chair over to Artie's computer. She clicked on one keyboard, then tapped his large, specialized mouse pad to check his other screen.

A grunt and a muffled reply from the front of the office really didn't tell her much.

Claudia tapped a few more times on Artie's computer and frowned. She called out, "Where's the ping?"

Artie shuffled back into the room sipping from a mug. She had a growing suspicion. "Did it come up in the system?"

"No. It hasn't shown up yet." Artie reset his glasses more fully on his nose and blinked a few times to get his computer monitor into focus.

"What hasn't?"

"Hum? Oh, uh… a fiddle." He checked that no major artifact activity was detected on his system during the few hours while he slept. "Einstein's fiddle to be precise." He said to Claudia while still looking at his screen.

"Like… Albert Einstein? Wait- of course, Albert Einstein. I mean is_ another_ Einstein?"

"Actually…" Artie began, but he stopped and shook his head. "Yes, Albert Einstein." He shot a look at Claudia quickly before returning his focus to his monitor. "His fiddle is believed to be one of the more powerful artifacts of this century. We haven't had a lead on it for…" He considered briefly. "a good 20 years."

Claudia eyed him suspiciously. "But you have a lead now?" She mentally weighed the folders on her hands. They felt a bit thin to her.

Artie hummed more to himself. He spun his mouse deftly with his left hand and dragged his right across the mouse pad at the same time. "I know where it is." He tapped the pad forcefully then spun in his chair towards Claudia. He grabbed the files from Claudia's hands. "And they're going to get it for me!" He said with a twinkle in his eye right before he jumped up and headed towards the door.


End file.
